Thanks Guys!

Something in our dinky little local newspaper caught my eye yesterday. It was a picture of 28 women and one man. If the dinky little local newspaper would put their opinion pieces online, I would provide the link here, but alas, they do not. I will just have to describe it as best I can.

The 28 women were wearing brightly-colored and be-jeweled bras on the outside of their clothes and they were posed in front of a local restaurant – yes, outside, on the sidewalk. The one man in the picture was Marko, the owner-proprietor-chef at said local restaurant. And he looked pleased as punch to be in the middle of this spunky group of ladies. I have been in Marko’s a few times – he makes a foulle that is to die for; it’s a soupy, garlicy blend of chick peas and fava beans, meant to be sopped up with flat bread – good and good for you! The place is tiny and casual – you can bring your own wine and they’ll un-cork it for you and provide the glasses. It’s a friendly, homey sort of place without pretense but with excellent food.

The ladies gathered at Markos were there to raise money for one in the group who had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. They, to my knowledge, are not affiliated with any formal event like The 3-day or Relay or Race for the Cure or anything; but were taking their own private steps to support their friend. Beautiful. And the reason it made the paper is because they had written a very moving, public “Thank You” note to Marko for having hosted their event. Apparently they picked the place because they liked it and not because he had any relationship with any of them. He had allowed them to over-take his place of business for a night – in all their costumed glory – and not out of personal obligation to anyone in the group – but just to be a good citizen. Which brings me to my point – it's always the men who get me. As moved as I constantly am by all my “sisters” in the 3-day family, it's always the men who get me. Pink Beard; Men With Heart; Baghdad; The Second Basemen; Convertible Thunderbird guy; the Kilts; the man in the video who says he’s walking for his wife because she can’t be there. . . . . That’s when you’re biting your lip and pulling the tissues out of your fanny pack.

Last year when I got home from the Atlanta walk, I wrote a letter to People Magazine suggesting that the “Men of the 3-Day” deserve their title of Sexiest “Men” Alive! The following is excerpted from the letter I submitted. . . . .

“I’m sure the editors of People are hard at work on the annual “Sexiest Man Alive” edition, which usually comes out around the first of December. I have a “nomination” to put forth in that regard. I assert that America’s Sexiest Man Alive is not a man, but a group of men; a group that wears feather boas, angel wings and hot pink hula skirts. But they are not transvestites, transgender, gay or “curious.” Well, some of them might be, but mainly, they are the fathers and sons, husbands, brothers and boyfriends of women affected by breast cancer. Some of them have even been diagnosed with the disease themselves and are gutsy enough to say so in public. These are the men of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure, the boldest event of its kind in America. It is a 60 mile walk over three days that draws tens of thousands of participants each year and raises tens of millions of dollars for breast cancer research.

“As you can imagine, “The 3-Day” is a female dominated event, but men do come. They come as the bicycle, motorcycle and medical crews who see to the safety of the walkers; they come as the gear and tent haulers, support vehicle drivers, and the hydration team that mixes infinite gallons of Gatorade. Many of them come to walk themselves or to simply be “walker stalkers” - spectators who follow the route cheering, clapping and encouraging. In solidarity with women who have given up something of their womanhood to have their breasts altered as they fight their disease, these men give up their manhood for a weekend to wear be-dazzled bras, and pink Crocs, to wear wigs and paint their nails and trudge along among this gaggle of women. That’s hot!

“But “The Men of the 3-Day” doesn’t just include the guys “on event.” It includes the guys back home, too: the husbands, brothers and dads who support these women while they train and fundraise; who take care of the kids, rub the feet and wipe the tears. No walker could do it without them. There’s nothing sexier than empathy, generosity and sacrifice. In my opinion, they deserve more than a page in a magazine, but it would be some great recognition and well-deserved. I hope you will seriously consider this proposal.”

Happy Father’s Day All -